When it comes to accidents occurring in the workplace, no one wants to hear the word “common”. If something is common, it happens often – not something you want to be associated with accidents or injuries!
However, the sad truth of it is that some accidents do happen more often than others. Here are three which are often reported in the workplace:
Falling Objects
Working with items at height will always carry some risk of accident or injury from things falling onto those working below.
It doesn’t matter how heavy or light the object is, all items being stored need to be assessed to ensure that they are securely placed and that the risk of falling and hitting someone.
Injuries aren’t always very serious; in fact, an empty cardboard box falling from a height can cause injuries such as bruising and cuts, whereas heavier objects have more chances of having more serious consequences, such as concussion, loss of consciousness, and some even more serious outcomes such as death in extreme circumstances.
According to the Health and Safety Executive(HSE), 10% of all non-fatal injuries reported by employers occurred due to being struck by an object in 2016/17
Overexertion
The nature of the workplace has changed drastically; employers and consumers are wanting more and faster, meaning employees are expected to do more work in a shorter amount of time.
This added stress and quick turnaround pressures can easily escalate into overexertion, especially where lifting and carrying heavy loads are involved. This is because people are trying to get ahead and rushing around, maybe even carrying twice the weight that they should be to meet deadlines.
Back, neck and arm complaints are the most common things we hear when people are overexerted, with many cases requiring medical intervention, which could also mean time needing to be taken off work to treat or diagnose – something that has a negative effect on both the employer and employee.
Sustaining a manual handling injury accounted for 22% of all non-fatal injuries reported by employers in 2016/17 by the HSE.
Slips and Falls
As the most common non-fatal workplace injury from 2016-2017, enduring slips, trips and falls in the workplace are officially the most common accident or injury to occur.
Whether it’s a slip on some wet floor which hadn’t been correctly signed, a trip over some dangerous trailing wire or even a fall on an uneven surface, slips, trips and falls are highly prevalent in the majority of industries.
Although it’s the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all slip, trip and fall hazards are dealt with and rectified, it is important to keep your eyes open and on the lookout for any potential issues in your surroundings.
If you do suffer an injury at work that could have been avoided, give our team a call – we may be able to help you to make a claim.